What's one thing that all A's fans should know? "I think first and foremost, they have to realize that we do appreciate them. A lot of the A's fans, they put their money where their mouth is, and we certainly appreciate that. And we are committed to providing a first-class experience at the ballpark and a quality team that they can be proud of."

New stadium ... "It's a little early in the process. I've seen the [feasibility] report and at least taken a cursory review of it. Basically this report analyzed a number of sites throughout the county, and my understanding was that the primary purpose was to kind of pare down this number of sites to something that's manageable. You're not going to go out and do a feasibility study and soil reports and financing plans for seven or eight sites. You have to whittle it down and maybe come up with two or three, and see if a deal can be worked out."

Steve Schott and Ken Hoffman ... "I would say 'autonomy.' They give us an unbelievable amount of autonomy to run this club. I've talked to some of my counterparts in other organizations, and it's clear that we have a lot of autonomy here. We have a budget and we have a plan, and we have to stay within that plan, but we can bounce around all we want. They've got confidence that we're going to do the right thing."

Contraction ... "I can't talk about that one."

Goals ... "World Series. That's it."

Fans ... "We've got a group of hard-core loyal fans that I enjoy seeing out at the ballpark that are very passionate. We don't always agree, but they're really important to the franchise."

What Mike Crowley said about the fans is correct. There is a core fanbase which is not often given credit but for Billy Beane and very few in the media.

And what I like the most is the new generation of young A's fans who will stick with the team through good and bad. I just hope they don't get disheartened like the fans who deserted the team after the mid nineties.

But Crowley does listen and accepts the criticism from the fans he knows are supportive of this team.I consider him a good soldier and a good employee of an ownership who is not all fan sensitive.He does what he can.

And I think he is trully an A's fan. I see him at every game and he is as passionate about the team as any of us fans. It must not be easy for him.